Chapter 16 Danger! The Silent Flowing River.
Before dawn, a sharp whistle pierced the oppressive air, pulling everyone from their light sleep or nightmares. Those in the tents silently put on their dust-covered clothes, and Chen Mi was no exception.
Savare always got up a little earlier than her, put on her work clothes that had been washed so much that the pattern was no longer visible, tidied up their tools, and then sat on the edge of the bed silently waiting for her to get up.
Then the two put on their GPS trackers and went to collect their breakfast.
Breakfast was a cold, solid block of nutrients, dry, hard, and tasteless, chewing it felt like gnawing on a rock. Shen Mi was used to it, but each time he would secretly break off a small half of his portion and slip it into Shavalei's hand when no one was looking. Shavalei initially refused, but under Shen Mi's persistent insistence, she simply lowered her head, took it, and clutched it tightly in her palm.
She wasn't unaware of Sister Shenmi's kindness to her, but she felt very guilty because she really had nothing to repay her with.
The team moved forward slowly, urged on by the whistle. Everyone walked with their heads down, covered in dust and weary, like a silent, flowing river.
Shen Mi followed in the group, clutching her tool bag tightly in her hand, with her work clothes, dried from the night before, draped over her shoulder. She looked down thoughtfully at her bare arms.
Life during this period was very monotonous. Every day, I wielded a hoe, moved stones, and loaded ore in the mine tunnels. I ate dry, bland nutrient blocks and drank tap water that tasted of rust. Apart from basic protein and vitamins, sugar and even fats were like luxuries, let alone sugar.
Chen Mi moved her arm, her fingers touching the lines of her forearm. The muscles weren't as soft as before; instead, they were firmer. Not in a muscular way, but rather the marks left by day after day of hard work.
What surprised her even more was her abdomen. She could still feel some soft flesh when she wore close-fitting clothes before, but now her stomach was too flat, and even the muscle texture was faintly visible under the skin.
She stared at her stomach, and a ridiculous thought suddenly popped into her head—if this continues, will she even develop abs?
Shavalei glanced up at her discreetly and noticed that Shen Mi's gaze was fixed on her. Thinking that she was worried about something, she asked softly, "Sister Shen Mi, are you feeling unwell?"
Shen Mi was taken aback, then came to his senses, raised his hand to ruffle her hair, and lifted his sleeve to show Shavalei: "No, I just feel like I've gotten a little stronger."
Savare nodded as if she understood, looked at Shen Mi's slender waist and arms, and tilted her head to say, "But you're still very thin."
"Yeah, I'm a bit stronger than before." Shen Mi's tone was a little self-deprecating; she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.
After all, becoming stronger here might mean surviving longer in this harsh environment.
Consider it a form of exercise.
The sound of hammers striking the rock walls echoed through the mine shaft, each strike a monotonous rhythm that seemed to drag on endlessly. Chen Mi squatted beside a rock, tools in hand, carefully picking out the broken pieces of ore and tossing them into a bucket beside him. Dust floated in the air, leaving a slightly astringent feeling in his throat.
Savare worked beside him, occasionally wiping the sweat from his face with his sleeve. The two of them worked in silence, like the other laborers.
After a while, Chen Mi stopped what she was doing and stretched her stiff wrists. She looked up at Shavalei: "Tired?"
Savare shook her head, then nodded, and whispered, "A little."
Shen Mi smiled and said, "Don't push yourself. If you're really too tired, take a break."
“They’ll see.” Savare’s voice was soft, but tinged with nervousness.
“It’s alright, I’ll cover for you.” Shen Mi didn’t say anything more, just continued hammering the ore. But the next moment, she suddenly spoke: “Savare.”
"ah?"
"You know what? I once heard someone say that if you close your eyes and imagine yourself in another place, you will feel less tired."
Savare's eyes widened slightly: "Really?"
"Hmm," Shen Mi said calmly, "I've tried it before, and it's quite effective."
Saware pursed her lips, seemingly half-believing. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching before cautiously closing her eyes: "So what should I imagine?"
Shen Mi thought for a moment: "Imagine your favorite place."
Savare was silent for a moment, then said softly, "My favorite place... is lying in a house made of candy and watching TV every day!"
Shen Mi turned his head to look at her: "It's simple, but full of imagination."
Savare opened her eyes, a lingering trace of tender emotion in them. She stared at her dusty hands and whispered, "And what about Sister Chenmi? What's your favorite place?"
Shen Mi paused for a moment.
After a long while, she whispered, "It should be home."
"Home?" Savare was somewhat surprised.
“Hmm.” Shen Mi’s gaze fell on the dark depths of the mine tunnel in the distance. “Without any financial burden, I can do whatever I want at home, sleep until noon, and play my favorite games until the early hours of the morning. Although it sounds unambitious, it is indeed my favorite place and the thing I want to do most.”
Savare gave a soft "oh," seemingly understanding but not quite.
The setting sun painted the sky a dark red, and the light at the end of the mine tunnel was particularly dazzling in the labor camp.
Shen Mi and Sha Valei carried heavy buckets of ore along the uneven gravel path towards the delivery point. Their work clothes were already soaked with sweat and dust, and their hands had changed color from carrying ore for so long.
As Chen Mi rounded a corner, he noticed a woman huddled by the roadside. She was leaning against the wall, her face covered in mud, one hand tightly clutching her calf, revealing several cuts on her exposed skin that looked like they had been made by a sharp object. Her breathing was rapid, and cold sweat streamed down her forehead; she looked utterly wretched.
Shavalei stopped instinctively, a hint of unease flashing in her eyes: "Sister Chenmi, she seems to be injured..."
Shen Mi frowned slightly, recalling Dan Heng's previous instructions, and subconsciously became more vigilant.
It wasn't that she was too cold-blooded and ruthless, but the labor camp was too cruel. After so many days of experience, Shen Mi had summarized the rules of survival: even if her relatives and friends were injured here, they would not lend a helping hand.
But the woman's wounds looked gruesome, especially her pale face and trembling hands, which certainly didn't seem fake.
Shen Mi gripped his tool bag tightly, pondered for a moment, and then took a step closer: "What's wrong?"
Hearing the voice, the woman looked up slightly, a pained expression on her face: "I...I fell and I think I twisted my calf...Could you go and call the supervisor for me?"
These words made Shen Mi's heart sink.
Call the supervisor?
If someone is genuinely injured, the managers will coldly tell her to handle it herself, and she might even be punished for slowing down the process. Seeking help from the regional supervisor is never something the workers here would say.
Seeing that Shen Mi didn't react, the woman gritted her teeth and said, "I really can't leave... Please..."
Shen Mi stared at her silently for a while, her gaze cool and almost aloof. She spoke softly, "Which district are you from?"
The woman seemed surprised by her direct question; a flicker of panic crossed her eyes, but she quickly lowered them and replied, "Area C."
Savare gently tugged at Chen Mi's sleeve and whispered, "What should we do? She looks like she's in a lot of pain..."
Shen Mi lowered his gaze, his expression remaining largely unchanged.
She knew that Sector C was Cullen's territory. She didn't intend to cause trouble, and more importantly—why did this person happen to fall in Sector E, and happen to call out to them for help among the many passersby?
Thinking about it carefully, it all seemed too coincidental. Shen Mi lowered his eyes and carefully examined the woman lying on the ground.
Although the woman's clothes were covered in dust and her expression was one of great pain, a closer look revealed unnatural wear and tear on her cuffs, as if they had been deliberately torn. Furthermore, the bloodstains on those "wounds" had begun to dry and were too dull in color, unlike those from a recent fall.
So, this was a play, a poorly staged play designed to target her.
Shen Mi turned his head slightly and said in a voice that was almost audible only to Shavalei, "Shavalei, if anything happens later, just run away as soon as you have a chance. Don't worry about me."
Savare paused for a moment: "Huh?"
Shen Mi stared at the woman's leg injury, then turned to Shavalei and whispered, "She didn't hurt herself from a fall."
At that moment, Shavalei seemed to finally realize something, her face turned deathly pale, and her breathing became erratic for a moment.
Savare's palms were already soaked with cold sweat. She gripped Shen Mi's sleeve tightly, her breath trembling.
The woman remained seated on the ground, her expression of pain perfectly maintained, her voice trembling slightly: "Please... help me... I really can't walk..."
Shen Mi stared at her, his tone unusually calm: "You said you were a worker in Zone C, but I've never seen you there."
The woman's expression stiffened almost imperceptibly, but she quickly composed herself and said weakly, "I was only transferred here yesterday... really..."
"Yesterday?" Shen Mi's lips curled slightly, his calm demeanor as if he were disassembling an object. "But I remember that no new personnel were added to Area C yesterday."
The woman's face paled, but she still stubbornly insisted, "You... how could you possibly know..."
“And another thing,” Shen Mi continued, speaking slowly but with an almost sharp chill, “the soles of your shoes are very clean, without any mud or wear. The ground here is all uneven cobblestones; if you were to slip and fall, your shoes wouldn’t be cleaner than your face.”
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Unable to continue pretending, the woman's expression completely changed.
Savare held her breath, so nervous she almost screamed. Shen Mi kept a safe distance from her, simply standing there, watching her expressionlessly.
Just then, a familiar yet grating laugh came from not far away.
"Ha, you're quite clever."
A note from the author:
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Hehe, I'm here early today!!! [Heart eyes][Heart eyes][Heart eyes] The day after tomorrow is the last day of daily updates!! I'll take a two-day break, then resume every other day updates. My drafts are almost gone, sob sob [Pigeon][Pigeon][Pigeon] Teacher Danheng's unit is expected to end in about 50,000 words. The next protagonist is Jing Yuan [Facepalm peeking][Facepalm peeking][Facepalm peeking]
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